Athletic tackling bags and the like



Nov. 17, 1959 P. H. LANDls y ATHLETIC TACKLING BAGS AND LIKE Filed sept. .1, -1955 N E u.

INVENroR Peter' HQ Lundis @i /ka/*g W;

.ILE

United States Patent O ATHLETIC TACKLING BAGS AND THE LIKE Peter H. Landis, Pittsburgh, Pa. Application September :1, 1955, Serial No. 531,858

8 Claims. (Cl. 273-55) This invention relates to athletic tackling bags and the like and particularly to an improved tackling bag for use in the safe and proper instruction in football tackling and blocking. This application is a continuationin-part of my copending application Serial No. 477,233, led December 23, 1954, now abandoned.

Various types of mechanisms have been proposed for use in instructing football players in the art of tackling of an opposing ball carrier and in the proper technique of blocking opposing players. All of the apparatus of this type with which I am familiar has bracing members or stiff vertical uprights or similar extraneous members which interfere with its action and present a hazard to the student. No apparatus heretofore used can be adjusted to give varying amounts of resistance to the force of tackling or blocking and no such apparatus provides a .bag or mechanism which yields with the tackle in a fashion similar to a human ball carrier and tends to regain its original upright position.

I have invented an athletic tackling bag which closely simulates the yield of an opposing ball carrier and tends to. right itself when struck. The bag of my invention may be adjusted to present variable amounts of resistance to tackling and is free from external unpaded members which might cause player injuries.

I provide a rigid vertical supporting member, a tackling bag on the supporting member, anchoring means adapted to be fastened to the earth or the like similar base, a universal pivotal connection between the anchoring means and the vertical supporting means and means on one of the anchoring means and the supporting member yieldably maintaining the supporting member in the vertical position with respect to the earth and automatically decreasing the yielding pressure upon the application of a predetermined force. Preferably l provide a hydraulic cylinder on one of the anchoring means and the supporting member. The hydraulic cylinder is provided with a piston xconnected to the other of the supporting member andthe anchoring means by a universal pivotal connection. Preferably the cylinder has a by-pass line cornmunicating with opposite ends of the cylinder. A variable pressure reliefv valve is preferably provided in the by-pass at the end adjacent the universal connection whereby the pressure at which the cylinder discharges into the by-pass may 'be varied. Resilient means, preferably in the form of a spring are provided to yieldably urge the piston to maintain its original position.

In the foregoing general description I have set out certain advantages, purposes and objects of my invention. Other advantages, purposes and objects will be apparent from a consideration of the following description and the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a vertical section through a preferred embodiment of my invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical section of the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1 taken at 90 to Figure l;

ice

Figure 3 is a vertical section through a second embodiment of my invention.

Referring to the drawings, I have illustrated a bag 10 enclosing padding 11, all surrounding a vertical supporting member 12. The vertical supporting member 12 is provided with a base 13 forming a closure for the bag 1t) and hinged at one edge by hinge 13a to an anchoring platform or member 14 adapted to be fastened to the earth 15 or to a floor or like surface. A closed hydraulic system 16 is mounted below the platform 14 within a cavity 17. The hydraulic system is made up of a main cylinder 18 and a by-pass 19 communicating with the main cylinder at its two opposite ends. The yby-pass, -19 may be in the form of an auxiliary cylinder or reservoir. A piston --20 is reciprocable in the main cylinder 18 and is connected to a piston rod 21 which is in turn connected to the supporting member 12 by a universal joint 22, preferably in the form of a ball and socket.

A variablerelief valve 23' of any well known form is inserted in the by-pass 19 adjacent'the end of the main cylinder nearest' the universal joint. The pressure at which valve 23 relieves may be adjusted by an adjusting handle 24. 4A spring 25 isiprovided in the main cylinder surrounding piston rod 21 and bearing on piston 20, which spring yieldably maintains the piston 20 at the bottom of its stroke to hold theV supporting member 12in the vertical position.` A conventional lspring loaded check `valve 26 is provided in the'piston 20' to permit the passage vof hydraulic lfluid through the piston when the piston is forced downwardly through the fluid in cylinder 18.

When an external force 27 strikes the bag 1i), it is opposed by the forceiof vthe spr-ing 25 and the iluid pressure aboveV the piston 20. If the force 27 is sufficient to exceed the force of the spring 16 and the pressure setting of valve 23, valve 23 will open and by-pass fluid from the main cylinder above piston v2() through valve 23, by-pass 19 and into the bottomof cylinder 18 beneath piston 20. When the force 27 is removed the spring 25 will force piston 20 downwardly in the main cylinder to raise the bag 10 to its vertical position. As the piston moves downwardly, uid in the bottom of the main cylinder passes through check valve 26 in the piston to the upper part of the main cylinder, thereby readying the cylinder for the next cycle.

In the embodiment ,shown in Figure 3, I have illu'strat'ed a'bag 30 enclosing padding 31 and supporting member 32. A main hydraulic cylinder 33 forms a part of thesupporting member `32. .The hydrauliecylinder is xed to a cup shaped base 34 which forms the base for the bag 5 0. A piston 35 is movable in rthe cylinder 33 and is attached ,to a piston rod 36. The rod 36 passes through the end of the cylinder 33 and is connected to an anchoring platform 37 by means .of aluniversalcguplingS preferably of .theball and socket type. A by-pass line 39 is connected to the opposite ends of the main cylinder. A variable relief valve 40 similar to valve 23 of Figure l is provided in the bypass. A regulating handle 41 is provided adjacent the base 34 to vary the pressure at which valve 40 relieves. A spring `42 is provided in the main cylinder 33 surrounding piston rod 36 and bearing on piston 35 whereby to yieldably maintain the piston 36 at the end of the stroke remote from the base 34. A conventional spring loaded check valve 43 such as valve 26 of the embodiment of Figure 1 is provided in the piston 33 to permit the passage of uid through the piston as the piston is forced downwardly through the fluid in cylinder 18.

The embodiment illustrated in Figure 3 operates in essentially the same fashion as that shown in Figures Patented Nov. 17, 1959 1 and 2. When an external force 44 strikes the bag it is opposed by the force of the spring 42 and the fluid pressure below the piston 35. If the force 44 is sufficient to overcome the combined force of the spring 42 and the pressure setting of valve 40, valve 40 will open and by-pass uid to the opposite end of the main cylinder 33. When the force 44 is removed the spring 42 will return the piston 35 to its original position while fluid passes through the check valve 43 in the piston.

While l have illustrated and described certain preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that the invention may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. An athletic tackling bag comprising a rigid vertical supporting member, a tackling bag on said supporting member, anchoring means, a universal pivotal connection between said supporting member and the anchoring means, resilient means connecting the anchoring means and the vertical supporting member yieldably maintaining the supporting member in the vertical position and hydraulic means cooperating with the resilient means to hold the supporting member in the vertical position and adapted to release fluid whereby the supporting member may move out of the vertical position upon the application of a predetermined force and valve means returning the fluid to its original position in the hydraulic means when the supporting member is returned to the vertical position.

2. An athletic tackling bag as claimed in claim 1 wherein variable relief valve means are provided varying the point at which the hydraulic means releases.

3. An athletic tackling bag comprising a rigid vertical supporting member, a tackling bag on said supporting member, anchoring means, a hydraulic cylinder in the anchoring means, a piston in said cylinder, a universal pivotal connection between the supporting member and the piston, valve means in the cylinder releasing iluid therefrom upon the application of a predetermined force to the piston, reservoir means receiving the released uid and returning the iiuid when the force is released from the piston and spring means yieldably urging the piston to hold the supporting member in the vertical position.

4. An athletic tackling bag comprising a rigid vertical supporting member, a tackling bag on said supporting member, anchoring means, a hydraulic cylinder on the supporting member, a piston in said cylinder, a universal pivotal connection between said piston and the anchoring means, valve means in the cylinder releasing fluid therefrom upon the application of a predetermined force to the piston, reservoir means receiving the released uid and returning the uid when the force is released from the piston and spring means yieldably urging the piston to hold the supporting member in the vertical position.

5. In an athletic device in combination, a tackling bag, padding material and rigid supporting member in said bag, said padding surrounding said supporting member, anchoring means, a closed hydraulic system in said anchoring means, said system including a main cylinder, a piston in said main cylinder, a universal connection between said piston and the supporting member, an`

auxiliary cylinder adjacent the main cylinder and communicating therewith, valve means between the two cylinders releasing uid from the main cylinder upon the application of a predetermined force upon the piston therein and returning the uid upon the release of said predetermined pressure and spring means urging the piston to return the supporting member to its original position.

6. In an athletic device in combination, a tackling bag, padding material and a rigid supporting member in said bag, said padding surrounding the supporting member, anchoring means, a hinge joint connecting the bag and the anchoring means, a closed hydraulic systern in the anchoring means, said system including a main cylinder, a piston in said main cylinder, a universal connection between the piston and the supporting member, reservoir means adjacent the main cylinder and communicating therewith, valve means between the main cylinder and the reservoir means releasing uid from the main cylinder upon the application of a predetermined force upon the piston and resilient means urging the piston to return the supporting member to its original position.

7. A tackling bag as claimed in claim 6 wherein the valve means is a variable pressure relief valve whereby the pressure at which the uid is released from the main cylinder may be varied at will.

8. In an athletic device in combination, a tackling bag, padding material and a rigid supporting member in said bag, said padding surrounding the supporting member, anchoring means, a hinge joint connecting the bag and the anchoring means, a closed hydraulic systern in the anchoring means, said system including a main cylinder, a piston in said main cylinder, a universal connection between the piston and the supporting member, a by-pass extending from a point adjacent one end of the cylinder to the opposite end of the cylinder and communicating with the cylinder at each end, a variable pressure relief valve in said by-pass at the end adjacent the universal connection releasing tiuid to the bypass upon application of a predetermined force upon the piston, resilient means urging the piston to return the supporting member to its original position, and valve means on the piston admitting iluid from the bypass when the resilient means returns the piston to its original position.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,250,905 Liljegran Dec. 18, 1917 1,716,678 Attanasio June 11, 1929 1,916,714 Burke July 4, 1933 2,068,578 Stronach Jan. 19, 1937 2,197,545 Bachman et al Apr. 16, 1940 

